As the Internet increased in popularity, the number of Internet services and devices exploded. One such service is using the Internet to place voice calls via the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP has the potential to revolutionize the world's phone systems by merging phone systems with high-speed Internet connections. One can now place voice calls via the Internet using a computer, IP phone, regular phone with an adapter, or any other VoIP device. In fact, many major telephone carriers now provide residential and commercial voice services using VoIP technology. VoIP provides extreme flexibility. For example, business travelers can take their phones with them on trips and always have access to their business phone wherever there is an Internet connection.
However, the possibilities provided by VoIP do present challenges. One such challenge is emergency 911 calls. Because VoIP does not use the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which associates a phone number with a physical address, there is no way to associate a VoIP device's location with a specific geographic area based on a phone number. Thus, if one were to call 911 and be unable to provide his location, the 911 call center would not have any way to route the appropriate emergency personnel to the caller's location. Notwithstanding this and other shortcomings, consumers are continuing to migrate toward VoIP services because of their low cost. This migration has the potential to leave a substantial number of people without adequate access to emergency services. Thus, there is a need to associate a geographic location with each VoIP device and to monitor and update these locations such that emergency personnel can be directed to a caller's location.